Goodbye Summer .....

  Although the seasonal change is mild on Maui, if you live here long enough, it can feel  monumental.  As summer slides into fall, the days grow shorter, the air slightly cools and at night, it is down right cold.  I long for it all summer and today it is here..... I celebrate the season called, Autumn!  
         

"SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

        Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless"...

"With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

    To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,

        And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

            To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells"...

"With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

        And still more, later flowers for the bees,

        Until they think warm days will never cease" .... John Keats

The photos posted are not my own.  Please contact me or go to my Tumbr link above in tab bar to find original source

Winter Garden Program

I love the cover of this 1914 program with a nymph-like lady dancing in a Grecian dress under a scroll bearing the words, "Winter Garden".  The Comedy and Tragedy masks are a clue that this is a playbill, possibly from the Winter Garden Theatre in New York.  On the back of the frame is a handwritten date of 1914.  The Winter Garden Theatre, opened it's doors in 1911 and was remodeled in 1922.  This would mean, the program dates back when the original theatre was still in existence.  I purchased this framed cover at an antique store located in Clovis, California.  I try to imagine who once held this program, probably in gloved hands resting on an silk embroidered dress .....  maybe a well-off farmer's wife from the central valley of California, out on the town in New York City, a trip she had dreamed of for many years as she helped tend the orchard with her husband.  She is seeing a play in a grand theatre for the first time.  The playbill will become a life long treasure, a fond memory enclosed in glass.  Precious enough to frame, with colors so vividly intoxicating, it has become a piece of art.  

For sale at Gilded Palm on Etsy - $22

Whose handwriting is this?















The photos above are my own with the exception of the GIF clip.  Please contact me for the original source.

Check it Out ... New at the Shop Link

Look at what's "New at the Shop" in the link above .....

This dish and much more!

Sterling Silver Plated "Victoria" Hallmarked Shell Dish

Now excepting at Gilded Palm on Etsy

The GIF video is not mine.  For original resource, please contact me.

Shades of Pink

     Let's harken back to a time when forbidden love in a romantic novel was descriptive just enough for the reader to imagine the unfolding of the interlude in a delicate and subtle way.  The stolen glance across a crystal and gold laden dining table, the tight embrace on the ball room floor, the delicate kiss on the back of the wrist in a 19th century New York horse drawn taxi .....

Novels like The Age of Innocence, The French Lieutenant's Woman and Madam Bovary give you just enough verbiage to make your heart quicken, your knees go weak and your face flush in 50 shades of pink. 

Most romantic novels take place in a lush estate or castle.

There are tight bodiced jeweled gowns,

sparkling chandeliers,

elegant table settings,

and lots of champagne.

There are secret walks in the garden

or down a deserted city street.

As the moment heightens, there is the biting of the lip ...

the loosening of the hair....

and unlacing of the shoes ....

But, her love is guarded and 

her virtue, not easily cast aside.

Her gown is hung in the closet

and her bouquet of flowers lay discarded on a velvet chair.

A farewell note and the token of love, returned.

She waits and longs for the day of a love that is true and pure.

one day .... some day




These photos and videos are not my own.  Please go to www.oohlalamaui.tumblr.com for original source or contact.  All links are listed above in tabs.  

A New Name (and Look)

Oh ..... this is FUN!  Sometimes you just have to shake things up.  And, this is what I have done at once was formerly called, Ooh La La, Maui!  I have renamed my blog, Etsy shop (link above) and Face Book page to Gilded Palm.  I think it sounds much more elegant.  Elegance and charm is on my radar.  So, stay tuned!

Please don't wake me.  I am dreaming of Gilded Palm

Summer Picnic

Because I live in Hawaii, my preferred choice of "outdoor" time is frolicking at the beach.  However, there is something so special about a picnic lunch, in a grassy meadow on a lazy afternoon.

Summertime begs us to be outdoors.....

where a picnic in an open field or wooded area,

(preferably by a body of water)

encourages us to unwind from our busy daily schedules. 

The more isolated and quiet your picnic spot....

the more able you are to hear the natural symphonic harmony that surrounds you.

Besides your picnic basket and blanket, make sure you bring books, a parasol and rent a canoe if possible.

Some may find solace in the coziness of a blanket thrown carelessly across a mattress of grass.....

and to lay on their back to watch the clouds slowly drift by.

Of course, if you bring your furry friend, you must be active!

And a child will gleefully keep you on your toes.

If you desire exercise, you can always dance!

But the key to a summer picnic, is to relax.

As the day comes to an end, make a toast to Mother Nature....

BUT WAIT!  Before darkness closes in, take time for a leisurely walk and listen to the the rattle of the leaves in the trees,

to the birds chattering amongst themselves 

and the subtle rush of the water as it glides across a path of rocks.

Finally, as the sun rays shoot through the clouds, trees and bushes

and the last bits of sun dances across the water

dip your toes in for a chilly embrace goodbye. 

www.oohlalamaui.tumblr.com

All photos are from my Tumblr blog and are not my own.  Please contact me or go to my Tumblr account if you are interested in the original source.